- SI Casino and SI Sportsbook continue to operate amid uncertainty over the future of the Sports Illustrated brand.
- Authentic Brands Group terminated its agreement with The Arena Group, which had license to publish Sports Illustrated.
- A joint venture between Authentic Brands Group and 888 Holdings in 2021 aimed to develop Sports Illustrated-themed online gaming products.
- The expected SI Poker product has not materialized, adding to doubts about the brand’s future in the online gaming industry.
Sports Illustrated (SI)-themed igaming products — SI Casino and SI Sportsbook — remain live and continue to accept wagers despite turmoil involving the parent company of SI and another contracted to promote the SI brand.
But uncertainty over the future of the SI brand could spell the end for a product first suggested back in June 2021 — an 888-powered SI Poker.
Last Friday, Authentic Brands Group (ABS) terminated its agreement with The Arena Group, according to reporting by Front Office Sports. The agreement gave Arena license to publish SI in print and digital media, but ABS pulled the plug after Arena reportedly missed a $3.75 million payment due to Authentic three weeks earlier.
ABS formed a joint venture (JV) with UK-based 888 Holdings in June 2021. Under the JV, 888 and ABS hoped to develop SI-themed products for online poker, casino gaming, and sports betting.
